New Member, New Inherited Pear Necklace!

[Alison]

Thanks for posting more photos! I strongly believe these are Akoya pearls, and you could be spending hundreds of dollars needlessly to have them x-rayed.

The pearls appear solidly opaque, and "machine-turned." I don't mean this literally, but it is a term I use in the attempt to describe the difference between natural and cultured pearls.

Also, the knots between the pearls are fat and appear like thick twine. Natural pearls were sold by weight -- not diameter, as with cultured pearls -- so the drill holes were almost always (never say "always" in anything related to pearls!) made as small as possible to minimize weight loss, and would not accommodate thick thread. I've had natural pearl necklaces that were badly overknotted, but always on fine silk.

If you want a proper written appraisal, it's normal practice to leave a piece for one to three weeks. I wouldn't worry about this, unless you have some specific reason to distrust the jeweler, in which case I would take it somewhere else.

 

[InheritedPearl]

I don't think that light picture did the necklace any justice, it looks blurred...i just figured i would give it a shot. I am currently charging my 3 million candlelight flashlight, and will put the pearl necklace directly on the big lens and try and take a few more pics...but i think i will still try and get an x-ray from my dentist "if" he can do it, i think it would be best and fun to see the results. I will go to Birks for sure this week!

The knots between the pearls appear big in the pictures, but i can hardly see them at all looking at the necklace without it photographed...and the drilled holes in the pearls appear to be so very small, i don't even know how they fed the silk stuff through?

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I always say, if they look like akoyas, then they are akoyas.

Cultured akoyas and natural pearls are worlds apart.

 

[Alison]

If the lens is hot, do not put pearls directly on it! Heat is the enemy of pearls.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I am currently charging my 3 million candlelight flashlight, and will put the pearl necklace directly on the big lens and try and take a few more pics...

Don't bother. You run the risk of damaging the pearls and your camera. Worse yet... your eyes.

If you must, poke a hole in a shoe box and place it over a light source. Sit a pearl on the hole to allow light to pass.

 

[InheritedPearl]

I won't Alison. When i took that bad pic with my bathroom light...i turned the light on for only 15 seconds to get the picture...Thanks for the advice Lagoon Island!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

What about inspecting the drill holes with a 10x loupe to see evidence of a bead under the nacre layer? Although it might be hard to see the drill holes before removing the silk to restring, if the knots are still tight....

 

[InheritedPearl]

I think i will try Lagoon Islands way, with a box and a light source for fun. I don't want to remove any pearls and restring the necklace...yet...i will save that for someone that knows what they are doing.

 

[lisa c]

Oh, IPearl, I think you're almost %100 hooked!

Ok if the clasp is one inch, I'd guess the little pearls are ballpark 3mm and big pearls what, 7- to 7.5mm just under 8mm?

A 'parsing' look at the clasp makes me think tulip and quatrefoil design.

 

[InheritedPearl]

I am hooked...that's actually a big problem now lol. I tried the box thing with a light but i just can't get any clear pictures. I did try something else that seemed to work a bit better. When i put my pearls in front of light, what am i supposed to see if they are natural, or cultured? Are you supposed to see something in the middle?

 

[Pearl Dreams]

What are you seeing?

 

[InheritedPearl]

I'm seeing my camera reflection as usual in the middle of the pearl...and then what you see in my picture. I have such a hard time photographing these pearls...it's become addictive now.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I am hooked...that's actually a big problem now lol. I tried the box thing with a light but i just can't get any clear pictures. I did try something else that seemed to work a bit better. When i put my pearls in front of light, what am i supposed to see if they are natural, or cultured? Are you supposed to see something in the middle?

Here is a thread I posted last week with images of candled pearls.

Candled Natural Pearls

I've been candling and photographing several natural pearls lately and selected a few that you might find interesting. It's an excellent alternative to the otherwise expensive process of X-ray from the labs.

www.pearl-guide.com

Cultured pearls rarely pass light, as opposed to showing a large perfect albeit diffused circle from the shell bead nucleus.

 

[InheritedPearl]

Thanks Lagoon for that link...that's pretty neat what you did but i still have no idea what i am doing with my pictures/set ups. The last pic i did was pretty neat, hopefully someone will identify the pearl easier now.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

Lets be realistic for a moment.

Even at first glance, I have serious doubts these are natural. We have yet to confirm they are even real, no less natural.

Natural pearls don't even remotely resemble cultured pearls and if they do, still leave themselves for scrutiny at the highest level.

A certifcate, does not a natural make. It's only a professional opinion. Results from the EGL are dubious at best and even the GIA has issued some questionable results. Unless you have provenance, which includes species, area and date of harvest, a summary of chemical composition (a destructive method), xrays and witnesses, it's safe to assume they are of questionable origin.

Pearl strands (even cultured) are rarely graded by their perfections. (Hanadamas being the exception). Otherwise, they are almost always graded by their imperfections then matched accordingly.

As Alison suggested, if this was a natural strand, it would likely be hallmarked, set with large high quality gems and kept in a specialized box.

 

[InheritedPearl]

Thanks for your input Lagoon. The clasp is hallmarked, my eyes just can't confirm exactly what it is...i will need a magnifying glass.

Now, all i'm doing is "trying" to "find out" out what this is...not so i can sell it, so that i know what i have. For me it's not about the money...i have lots of that...i am just really curious as to whom it came from...my grandmother, maybe someone else in the family tree, and i'm very curious if they are indeed cultured, fake or natural. As a newbie here, with zero (0) experience in pearls, i'm trying to give %100 effort on my side, and all the other members have voiced their opinions also which i greatly appreciate. So now, after reading your post Lagoon, i feel like i am back at square 1...not knowing what i could possibly have...not knowing who to trust to look at the necklace and now i feel like i am at a dead end.

If this necklace were yours, what would you do in my situation to try and find out as much as "honestly" possible about the necklace? Thanks again for your input!

 

[Pearl Dreams]

It's not likely they are natural. Too uniform, too round, and I don't see any transparency in your photos, just light reflected. I personally would not pay for a GIA certification.

My guess is Akoya cultured pearls, but they ought to be checked by someone who can tell the difference between imitation and cultured pearls. Birks should be able to look at the surface and drill holes with a loupe and tell you whether they are imitation. They should see the hallmark as well.
If imitation, end of the road.
If cultured, you might want to get a proper appraisal of resale value (not necessary to Xray them for that), as the value of the clasp will make a difference in the sale potential of the pearls. You will have to trust the person you leave them with as the appraisal will take time, can't be done "while you wait."

Of course you could get the other sort of appraisal (replacement cost for insurance purposes) but I am really getting the sense that you prefer to sell them. Either choice is valid. Just because something was left to you does not mean you have any obligation to the deceased to keep it.

We love pearls on this forum and that is why we urge you to keep them, but if you really don't see yourself wearing them (even restrung/restyled), then you should not feel that you have to keep them. I've sold some unwanted things I inherited and used the money to buy things I preferred (including pearls! There is no right and wrong about it, just personal preference.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

I apologize for the confusion and don't mean to snub on your enthusiasm. I appreciate your keen interest and willingness to learn.

To answer your question honestly, my first impression is you have a lovely set of vintage akoya pearls. Of all the questions from new members about their recently acquired pearls, 99% of them result in being vintage cultured akoyas, by virtue of their appearance and wide availablity. If these pearls fell within the remaining 1%, they'd be another species or natural.

Pearl strands are graded from enormous pools of pearls. To grade a perfectly round, color-matched, equal sized and flawless surfaces of that many pearls, would require sorting through thousands and thousands of natural pearls. I own thousands of natural pearls, but can scarcely match doubles, no less triples or strands. Even new, if this strand was made from naturals, the original cost would have been phenominal and as such, would doubt they'd be kept loosely in a box with other pieces.

Older pearls are very often restrung. Likewise the clasps are often upgraded or otherwise changed for a whole host of reasons, usually better metal or inclusion of other gems. For a strand this age and quality, it's highly recommended they be restrung anyway. At that time, the holes can be inspected for nacre thickness, the presence of nuclei and any cracks.

Irrespective of the species or quality genuity, they are family heirlooms, worthy of great esteem. You can be proud to hand them down to your children and their children.

As you saw by my photos in the other thread, you can clearly see what is at the heart of those pearls. Even a finely matched strand of naturals would have huge variations in the appearance of the nuclei when xray'd or candled.

By your allusion, the candled pearls are too cloudy to photograph. That itself tells me... cultured.

 

[lisa c]

Its ok, IP you aren't at a dead end. Youre going to Birks, then get an appraisal for sale or your own information if you want, right?

Dave, are you worried that the enthusiasm we're showing (cheerleading)for all the progress she's made with photographs and learning about pearls is misleading her into thinking there's a chance they're Naturals?

IP, the bead cultured pearls show as a dark, very round, symmetrical center (the bead) with the nacre glowing like a halo around it, when light is behind the pearl. The closest idea that comes to me would be like a perfectly-round-peanut M&M.

 

[InheritedPearl]

Thanks again for your post. I am slowly learning this whole pearl thingy...but it's weird...when i put the pearls with a strong light behind it, it really does look like it's transparent, but in the middle of each and every pearl is a small "darker shaped" center...all of them are different shaped inside and unique, but my camera skills and surrounding lighting in my basement isn't sufficient...i'm not sure if you know what i mean. I will for sure be keeping the pearls now...i've spent too much time and effort researching them, and i will continue to research them the next couple of days until i go back to work next week (i'm on vacation this week). Just for fun, i will try and pay to have them x-rayed just so that i can post up the x-ray on this site for everyone to see. Tomorrow, i will be going through my dads filing cabinet to see if there is a jewelry folder, the stuff that was in his jewelry drawer including all the empty jewelry boxes (with felt inside)...and i will go through the old family pictures from the late 1800's - until the early 1920's...there aren't many pictures but i know there are a few of my grand parents which had passed away before i was born in the 1960's. It's been an exciting & chalenging journey these last few days since i joined PG, i may even go out on Friday and treat myself to a nice high end camera...i need a good one anyways for taking pictures of my other collectibles...and of course my family!